Ready for Love (26 page)

“No need. I’ll take care of everything. You can direct.”

“Are you sure you want to take that on?”

“I’d be thrilled to help you out.”

“I feel so bad for Janey—her dad is hurt and her matron of honor is on bed rest less than two weeks before her wedding.”

“We’ll get a chaise for you for the wedding so you can be right there with her and not exert yourself.”

Maddie cringed at the idea of it. “So I’ll be like the queen of Sheba laid out at Janey’s wedding?”

“She’ll be so excited to marry Joe and to have you there with her, she won’t care in the least.”

“What’ve you got in your bag of tricks for dealing with overwrought husbands?”

Sydney laughed. “You’re on your own there, my friend.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.”

Maddie and Sydney discussed bridal shower plans until Mac returned with Thomas.

“Mama,” he cried, breaking free from Mac’s grasp and running for Maddie’s bed.

Mac scooped him up. “Easy, pal. Don’t forget what we talked about in the car.”

Maddie reached for Thomas and hugged him when Mac handed him over. “What did you boys talk about?”

“Mama has to rest,” Thomas said. “’Cuz of my baby brother in your belly.”

Maddie glanced at Mac, hoping to see amusement but finding none. “Remember when Daddy and I told you it could be a baby sister?”

Thomas shook his head. “No sisters.”

Maddie shared a laugh with Sydney, but Mac barely cracked a grin. She could tell by the set of his shoulders that he was still full of tension.

“Did you see your dad?” she asked Mac.

He nodded. “He’s awake and cranky and his head hurts, but he’s doing better. My mom, Janey, Joe, Grant and Ned are with him. Your mom said she’ll be in after a while.”

Maddie had a few questions for her mother who’d yet to come by to see her—probably because she knew Maddie would grill her about Ned. “I’m so glad your dad is cranky. That’s a good sign.” To Thomas, she said, “Can you say hi to Mama’s friend Sydney?”

“Hi,” Thomas said, smiling. “Buddy?”

“That’s right. You remembered. Guess what? Buddy has been sick, too.”

Thomas’s white-blond eyebrows knitted with concern.

“You know,” Sydney said, venturing a glance at Maddie, “if it’s okay with your mama and daddy, you can come with me to see him. If you want to, that is.”

“Can I see Buddy, Mama?” Thomas asked.

“Sure. That sounds like fun. But you have to be very gentle with Buddy, okay?”

His face solemn, Thomas nodded.

To Mac, Sydney said, “Could we trade cars for a little while so I’ll have the car seat? I’ll take him to see Buddy and then to Luke’s for dinner so you guys can have some time.”

Maddie wasn’t sure if she wanted time alone with her husband when he was in this mood, but she couldn’t disappoint Thomas. “What do you say to Syd?”

“Thank you,” Thomas said.

“And you’ll be a very good boy?”

He nodded.

“Okay, then. Give me another big hug first.”

Thomas wrapped his pudgy arms around her neck and squeezed.

Maddie breathed in the sent of little boy and the sunscreen Tiffany had applied so they could play outside in the sprinkler.

Thomas squirmed free.

“Have a good time, buddy.” Mac hugged Thomas and traded keys with Sydney. “Be a good boy.”

“Does he have any allergies or anything he can’t or won’t eat?” Sydney asked.

“Not that we’re aware of,” Mac said. “He’s not a big fan of vegetables.”

“Shocker.” Syd extended her hand to Thomas. “I bet Luke has some spaghetti we can make.”

“Sketti,” Thomas said with a bright smile.

“He likes it with butter and cheese,” Mac said. “No sauce.”

“Got it. Stay as late as you want, Mac. If he conks out, I’ll put him down at Luke’s.”

“Thanks, Syd,” Maddie said.

“Yes, thank you,” Mac added.

Hand in hand, Sydney and Thomas walked out of the room. Maddie could hear Thomas’s happy chatter all the way down the hallway.

“That was nice of her,” Mac said.

“Very.” Maddie fiddled with the blanket.

“How do you feel?” he asked, vibrating with tension he was clearly trying—and failing—to keep hidden from her. Unfortunately for him, she knew him better than anyone and could see right through his act.

“Fine.”

“What’s with the one-word answers?”

“Nothing.”

“Great,” he said with a sharp laugh. “That’s perfect.
You’re
mad at
me
?”

Maddie shrugged. “You were a little over the top earlier.”

Hands on his hips, he said, “At least that’s more than one word. We’re making progress.”

“Mac.”

“What?” he snapped.

“Come here.”

“I’m here.”

Maddie patted the bed. “Here.”

Reluctantly—or so it seemed to her—he perched on the bed, arms folded, shoulders set.

“Closer.”

“I don’t want to. In case you haven’t noticed,
I’m
mad with
you
.”

“I noticed, but I need you.”

Right before her eyes, all the starch went out of him, and he turned to her, one hand on either side of her hips. “What? Is something else wrong? Does something hurt?”

Laughing softly, she extended her arms. “Come here.”

“Are you
mocking
me?” he asked as he moved into her embrace.

“Never.” Choking back a laugh, she ran her fingers through the thick dark hair she loved so much and held him close until he began to relax—as much as he ever did.

“You’re making me crazy,” he muttered.

“I know.”

“You won’t even
think
about going to Providence for a second opinion?”

“Why do we need one? Cal said the early labor was brought on by the stress of what happened today. I need to stay in bed for three months until the baby comes, which totally sucks, but I’ll do what I have to.”

“Maybe we should just move to the mainland until the baby comes so we’re closer to real hospitals. We could stay at Joe’s place—”

Maddie pinched his lips closed. “I want to be in our home with our things, near our family.”

“But—”

“No buts. I trust Cal, and he sees no reason for me to go to the mainland.”

“What about me?”

Once again Maddie found herself biting back a laugh that she knew her darling husband wouldn’t appreciate. “Are you pregnant, too?”

He turned his face so she could see his scowl. “What if I die of a heart attack from the stress of being so far from a hospital if my wife needs more than this Podunk place can provide?”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“And are you in possession of a crystal ball I don’t know about?”

“I’ve got something better—mother’s intuition.”

“I can’t bear the thought of you needing something that I can’t get you.”

Maddie cupped his face. “You’ve already given me everything. You’re the best husband and father anyone could ever hope to have, but if you don’t
chill out
, I’ll have no choice but to kill you. Do you understand me?”

He chuckled. “You couldn’t live without me.”

“No, I couldn’t, but you still have to relax. Your stress is becoming my stress.”

“I get it.”

“Today was a bad day, but your dad is okay. I’m okay. You’re okay. Take a deep breath, will you please?”

Mac did as directed, and a big shudder shook through his muscular frame. “Remember when I said I wanted four kids?”

“Vaguely.”

“I don’t think I can do it.”

This time Maddie couldn’t hold back the laughter. “Because it really is all about you.”

“No, baby, it’s all about
you
. That’s the problem. I love you so damned much that the thought of you being in any kind of jeopardy makes me crazy.”

“Then you know how I felt today when I didn’t know what had happened to you.”

“A very bad day.”

“Tomorrow will be better.” She continued to stroke his hair, which was wild and disheveled from being wet earlier, and pressed her lips to his forehead. “Except for the part about three months in bed.”

“With no fun,” he said glumly.

“He didn’t say
no
fun. He said no to
one kind
of fun. There’re plenty of other kinds, as we’ve discovered.”

“And suddenly this bad day is looking up.”

“Mac?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you so damned much, too.”

He raised his head and shifted on the bed so he could kiss her. “I’ll let you call the shots this time.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“But you’d better not let anything happen to you, Madeline, or you’ll deal with me. Got me?”

She clutched his shirt and brought him in for another kiss. “Got you.”

Thomas chattered all the way to Sydney’s parents’ house, where they found Buddy had been given a place of honor on the sofa, wearing what Seth had called “the cone of shame.” The poor guy had hated the cone after his neutering surgery, but this time he didn’t seem to have the energy—yet—to do battle with it.

When he saw her coming, he raised his head and let out a weak whimper.

She worked around the cone to smooch Buddy’s face. “Awww, how’s my good boy?”

He licked her cheek.

“Mom? Dad?”

“Be right down,” her mother called.

“Come on over and say hi to Buddy,” Syd said, holding a hand out to Thomas.

He toddled over to the sofa. “What’s smatter wid him?”

Sydney had already grown to love that serious expression of Thomas’s. “He had to have an operation.”

“How come?”

Syd took the little boy’s hand and held it for Buddy to lick. “He ate something he shouldn’t have, and it got stuck in his belly.”

“What did he eat?”

“A trash bag.”

Thomas wrinkled his nose. “Yucky.”

“Very,” Syd said, laughing. “You hear that, Buddy? Trash bags are yucky.”

“Hopefully, he’s learned his lesson,” Mary Alice said as she joined them.

“Probably wishful thinking,” Syd said. “Mom, this is Thomas McCarthy, Mac and Maddie’s son. Thomas, this is my mom, Mrs. Donovan.”

As they shook hands, Sydney noted the yearning on her mother’s face. She missed her grandchildren something fierce.

“What a handsome young man you are.”

“He’s adorable,” Syd agreed. She filled her mother in on Maddie’s condition.

Thomas giggled as Buddy continued to lick his hand.

“I can’t imagine three months in bed,” Mary Alice said, grimacing.

“No kidding. It’ll be a challenge with a busy toddler to manage, too.”

Thomas was fascinated with Buddy. “Can he play?”

“Not today. He’s got to get better first. You can come back next week to visit him. Maybe then he’ll be up for playing.”

“Why does he have to wear that hat?”

“So he won’t pull his stitches out.”

“Oh.” Thomas bent to press a kiss on the dog’s nose. “Get better, Buddy.”

“What a sweet boy,” Mary Alice said. “The vet said Buddy will be sleepy for the next few days, so don’t worry about leaving him with us for now.”

“I guess I can live without him for a day or two but not much longer.”

“Dad can bring him over whenever you’re ready.”

“Let me see how Luke is doing tomorrow.”

To Thomas, Mary Alice said, “How would you like some cookies and milk?”

Thomas glanced at Sydney, who nodded. “You can have dessert before dinner—but don’t tell your mom, okay?”

Delighted by the conspiracy, Thomas giggled. “Okay, Syd.”

Mary Alice reached out to Thomas. “Let’s get those hands washed.”

As she watched them go into the kitchen, Sydney, too, was filled with yearning for her own children who would’ve loved Thomas. They’d always had an affinity for younger children, and more than once, Sydney had questioned her decision to have her tubes tied after Malena was born. They would’ve been an awesome big-brother-and-sister team to a younger sibling.

“Looks like you’ve made a new friend, Buddy.” She spoke softly to him and ran her hand over his back until he drifted off to sleep.

Sydney checked her watch and realized she needed to get back to make dinner for Luke. Remembering what he’d failed to tell her had her stomach aching with anxiety. Why hadn’t he told her? Should she ask him? Or should she wait for him to tell her himself? Would he ever tell her? It was all so confusing.